Private chef insurance
Join over 900k UK customers (including over 1,200 chefs like you) – we offer public liability cover from £4.74*
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Rated 4.8/5
Based on 39,800 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Why do you need personal chef insurance important?
From long standing clients to brand new contracts, your diners are looking for truly personal service. Catering to individual needs carries specific risks, whether it’s an allergic reaction or spoiled produce, so our insurance for chefs helps cover the liability, starting with third party accidents and property damage. Just add on the other covers you need – such as employers’ liability insurance if you’ve hired anyone.
- personal chef liability insurance between £1 million and £10 million
- trusted by over 900,000 small UK businesses for flexible, tailored cover
- chef insurance, UK customer service and 24/7 claims team
What does insurance for chefs cover?
We’ll start with liability insurance for chefs, including public, product, and employers’ liability, giving you back-up for accidents in your kitchen or claims against your food – for example, if someone has an allergic reaction to an ingredient. From there, you can add insurance for equipment and stock, plus personal accident cover for you or anyone else you’ve covered.
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Public liability insurance for chefs
In case your business and products cause an injury or property damage.
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Employers’ liability insurance
In case an employee gets sick or injured while working for you.
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Business and office equipment insurance
In case something happens to the equipment you use to run your business.
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Tools insurance
In case something happens to your chef tools and kit.
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Stock insurance
In case something happens to your ingredients or materials.
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Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your business.
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Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
How much does chef insurance cost?
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
Prices start from £4.74 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £56.82 or less annually between 1st Jan – 31st May 2024. Equivalent to £4.74 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 76% of customers have a £1 million limit and 24% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.
Example private chef insurance quotes, real prices
£7.03 /month
£50.31 /year
A self-employed chef working in local restaurants with their own knifes
- 1-2 years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Southampton
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Contents & business equipment
Not included
£36.24 /month
£322.14 /year
A self-employed chef working in local restaurants with their own knives
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 2 employees
- Based in Cardiff
Public liability
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Contents & business equipment
£5,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 16/08/2021). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
What kind of excess should I expect?
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
|---|---|---|
Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
Employers’ liability | No excess | No excess |
Tools | £60 | £500 |
Stock | £100 | £500 |
Business and office equipment | £50 | £750 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
How it works
Pick what goes into your policy
Only pay for what you need
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Choose the best fit for you
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How do I choose insurance?
Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
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Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
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Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
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Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
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Does private chef insurance cover my work correctly?
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Do I need cover for other types of work?
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Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Talk to an expert
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am – 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am – 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am – 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am – 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am – 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am – 02.00pm
Call our team
How do claims work?
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.
£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
83% of claims were settled in 2023
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Example claim
Having private chef insurance through Simply Business has saved professionals thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Oliver saved more than £15,200
While working in his client’s kitchen, Oliver (not his real name) slipped on a wet floor, injuring his back and head. The optional personal accident cover in his private chef insurance policy covered Oliver’s treatment fees and lost income.
Insurance payout
£15,282.22
Covering the cost of personal accident
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of personal accident
Covering the cost of personal accident
Chosen by nearly 1 million small businesses and landlords
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then, with nearly 1 million customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
Freelance chef insurance FAQs
Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about private chef insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Public and product liability insurance is often an important cover for private chefs – it’s designed to protect you if someone is injured or gets sick, or their property is damaged, because of your business.
Do you employ any staff? If so, you’re usually required by law to take out employer’s liability insurance, even if it’s for a contractor team member, or casual and seasonal staff. You’ll face fines of up to £2,500 a day for anyone you haven’t covered correctly.
From there, you can pick and choose from other specific protection for your stock and equipment, plus legal expenses for things like employee disputes and personal accident cover for the slip-ups that can delay contracts and orders. Our personal chef insurance policies are flexible – you can bundle everything into one policy or go for just one or two covers, depending on what you need.
Yes. It’s important to make sure you have the right type and level of insurance for the different types of work you do. For example, if you’re a private chef, you may also do private catering at parties or weddings from time to time – you’ll need additional cover for this, but you can have it all on the one policy. When you start your quote, you’ll have the option to add another trade or profession to your policy. If you need to add a third trade, give us a call on 0333 0146 683 and one of our insurance experts will help you set up your policy in minutes.
Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.
If you change your business legal structure from sole trader to limited company mid-way through your policy, give us a call straight away on 0333 043 8527. It’ll only take us a few minutes to cancel your existing policy and replace it with one that correctly covers your new legal structure. It’s worth bearing in mind that your insurer and premium amount may need to change.
This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.
If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.
There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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